I have a 598ci N/A, 750hp in my 29' Kryptonite with an Imco SC. Upper gears were pitted up pretty bad after 80hours. I am always easy on plane, never floor it from a cruise speed, and always keep from spinning up in the air. My boat weighs about 4500lbs.

Yes sir, the boat is a 271 Sr1, not a 272, that was a typo!!

I dont know what to do at this point!! I am looking at about 1500 more lbs. than you with 50 more hp and a stock bravo drive!! Any ideas????

598,
I have a friend that runs a 28' Checkmate, I believe 5700 lbs, unloaded. He is running a 598" motor, NA. Been running the stock B1 from 97. It has been gone through once since new, a set of lower gears and new bearings. It has about 650hrs on it now. If you dont apply enough power to snap the teeth off the helical gears, they can last a long time. He drives his boat with respect, and runs it fast, so I would run that B1 if it is in good condition and not too loose.

Dick

Dick, am I correct that the weak floored gears (old style ) were changed out at one point? I broke the old style 2000 gear floor in my boat 9 years ago with 650 hp, Smitty

Thank you sir. I am going to put external steering on it and give the b1 a shot!! The most that can happen is it break and I will have to go to plan B.
The drive was replaced in 06 with the reman that is on the boat now and I think it has only 130hrs on it or so behind a 415hp 502.

Brad

I run 675 hp. and everything else the same.

Mine was in need of 5k to rebuild after about 80 hours.

Take the money you'll spend fixing the drive you have, put it with the $$ you'll get from selling your current drive & put that $$ towards the ultimate solution of either Arneson, Bmax or IMCO SCX. Anything short of that & You'll be fixing Bravo drives frequently.

What kind of price range are the Bmax and IMCO SCX's in?

Artic,
He is still running the thin floored gears in the upper that came with it. In 97 they must have had a good run of gears.

598.. No one can tell how long that drive will last. If it was setup properly, it may live. Depends on a lot of factors. If you sell it and go to an SCX.. It will live.. To switch to SCX is about $15k. A bit cheaper if you run the SCX upper with SC lower.
Not sure how much B-max is.

Dick